Bed rail and post connections and the like



June 18, 1957 J, EDELEN, 55 2,795,801

BED RAIL AND POST CONNECTIONS AND THE LIKE Original Filed Nov. 1, 1952 IN V EN TOR. James G, Edelen, Sn

HTT RNEY.

United States Patent BED RAIL AND POST CONNECTIONS AND THE LIKE James G. Edelen, Sr., Baltimore, Md.

Original application November 1, 1952, Serial No. 318,297. Divided and this application June 11, 1954, Serial No. 436,167

2 Claims. (Cl. -296) My invention relates to improvements in connectors such as are shown in my Patent No. 2,602,939, dated July 15, 1952, and which are especially suited for connecting bed rails and posts, although adapted for use in connecting elements of knock-down furniture or the like generally, and also for other purposes. This application is a division of my application Serial Number 318,297, filed November 1, 1952.

Briefly and generally stated, the present invention aims to provide a device for the purpose specified which is simple in construction, strong and durable, easy to use, and which may be manufactured in quantity at relatively low cost.

Additionally, the invention contemplates a connector for bed rails and posts, and for other purposes, which is formed of two simple stampings which can be readily assembled and which provide a bearing plate or member having portions which extend to opposite sides of a hook member which the device provides.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon reference to the accompanying drawings in connection with the following detailed description of the illustrated examples of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein the same reference characters have been used to designate the same parts throughout the several views Fig. 1 is a side elevational view illustrating the end portion of a metal angle-form bed rail having secured thereto a post-engaging terminal, the post being indicated in dot and dash lines;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device as illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rail terminal detached, and illustrating in full and dotted lines how the parts are assembled; and

Fig. 4 is a group perspective of the parts making up the rail terminal indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, numeral indicates a conventional bedpost which may be either of wood or metal or any other suitable material and has the lineal slot 11 which is spanned by two vertically spaced crosspins 12.

Numeral 13 designates generally the hook plate extension of the bed rail, which latter is indicated by numeral 9.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the rear portion 13a of the hook plate 13 is welded, riveted, or otherwise secured as at y to the outer face of the vertical flange 9a of the bed rail 9, the latter having, as illustrated, the horizontal bed spring or mattress supporting flange 9b.

As in my aforementioned patent, the hook plate 13 is provided with vertically spaced and aligned books 14, 15 which provide the slots 16, 17, respectively, which except at their inner ends, are much wider than the diameter of the pins 12.

In connection with the slots 16, 17, it is to be noted that the front Walls thereof provide inwardly tapering cam edges 14a, 15a, respectively, which bear against the associated pins 12 of the bedpost.

The length of the cam edges 14a, 15a of the slots 16, 17 and the angle of inclineof the said cam edges 14a, 15a is such as to enable the hook members 14, 15 to properly engage the post pins 12 regardless of the distance which said pins may be spaced from the inner surface of the post 10, which is to say, the surface at the right as viewed in Fig. 1.

As indicated in Fig. 3 but best shown in Fig. 4, the upper end of the hook plate 13 has an inwardly opening notch 18, while the lower end of said hook plate has:the inwardly opening notch 19. Particular attention is directed to the fact that the front wall 18a of the notch 18 extends beyond the end of the rear wall 18b of said notch for a purpose which will be understood later on.

In carrying out the invention, I provide the bearing plate 20, which is adapted to engage the opposed surface of the bedpost 10, and this plate 20 has the closed, linearly extending slot 21 which is of a width to receive the rear portion 13a of the hook plate 13, the portions of said bearing plate 20 beyond the ends of the slot 21 being adapted to be received in the top and bottom notches 18, 19 of the hook plate 13. The length of the slot 21 in the bearing plate 20 will be slightly greater than the distance between the inner ends of the notches 18, 19 of the hook plate 13, and preferably the said notches 18, 19 of the hook plate will be of a width slightly greater than the thickness of the bearing plate to facilitate assembly of said plates 13, 20.

The dotted lines in Fig. 3 illustrate the hook plate 13 being rocked into place in the slot 21 of the bearing plate 20, the inner end of the lower notch 19 of the hook plate serving as a fulcrum. Fig. 1 illustrates that the distance from the inner end of the lower notch 19 of the hook plate to the outer end of the front wall 18a of the top notch 18 is greater than the length of the slot 21 in the bearing plate. But Fig. 1 also shows that the length of the rear wall 18b of the top notch 18 of the hook plate is less than the length of the front wall 18a. Fig. 4 further shows that the distance from the inner end of the bottom notch 19 to the outer end of the rear wall 18b of the top notch 18 is less than the length of the bearing plate slot 21. Thus, when the hook plate 13 is rocked into position as shown in Fig. 3, the upper end of rear wall 18b will just clear the upper end of the bearing plate slot 21. This means that the upper end of the front wall 18a of notch 18 will engage with the plate 20 above the slot 21 as indicated in Fig. 3.

After the hook plate 13 and bearing plate 20 have been assembled as aforesaid, the hook plate 13 will preferably be shifted upwardly slightly in slot 21 to its full line position of Fig. 3 (see also Fig. 1), so that the shorter rear wall 18b of the top notch 18 will also bear against plate 20. Then the plates 13, 20 are preferably welded together or otherwise secured in this relationship as indicated at W in Figs. 1 and 2.

However, the stated rigid securing of plates 13, 20 together is not necessary and can be dispensed with in view of the fact that the end of the bed rail 9 bears against the plate 20, as illustrated in Fig. 2. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the rail terminal 13, 20 in addition to being riveted or welded as at W to the vertical rail flange 9a also has its bearing plate welded or otherwise secured as at Z to the horizontal flange 9b of rail 9.

Although the invention has been illustrated in connection with an angle form metal bed rail, it is to be understood that the terminal member comprising the hook plate and the bearing plate may be applied to different forms of bed rails whether made of metal or wood; and further, that the connecting terminal is applicable to knock-down furniture*generally for connecting parts therefor.

Having thus described my -.invention, what I claim is: l A post-connecting terminal for bed rails and the like comprising a rail-carried hook plate-having hook means at its forward edge 'ad'aptedto engage bedpostcarried :pin means or the like, said hook 'platehaving top and bottom slot-form cutouts 'rearwardly of said hook means and open at their outer ends, each of said top and bottom slot-form cutouts having upstanding and parallel front and rear bearing walls, a bearing plate for engaging a bedpost and having a linear slot therethrough, the rear portion of said hook plate extending through the slot of said'bearing plate, portions of said bearing plate beyond theopposlte ends of said slot engaging the front upstanding bearing wall of each hook plate-cutout where- 'by the latter sustain said bearing plate against stresses in a rearward direction normal thereto, and'the rear end of said hook plate providing means for attachment to a tate engagement of its front companion wall with said bearing plate and the rseati-ngofsaid bearing platein said hook plate provided cutouts, the distance from the inner end of the bottom cutout to the outer end of said rear bearing wall of the top cutout being shorter than the length of said bearing plate slot, and the weight of the bearing plate and bedrail causing the upper bearing plate portionto seat between the wallsof the top cutout in the hook plate.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, and said assembled hook plate and bearing tplatewelded together to prevent unseating of the bearing plate from said notches.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,424,284 Dyke Aug. 1, 1922 2,602,939 Edelen July 15, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 467,611 Canada Aug. 29, 1950 

